Baljet Wins 59th Rose Cup

​Peter Baljet of Duncan, British Columbia, won the 59th Rose Cup race on Sunday, July 14 at Portland International Raceway.


The longtime driver qualified his No. 81 Bentley GT3 on the pole and led the race from the first corner.


By the time the checkered flag flew, Baljet enjoyed a 24-second lead.


“It’s a spectacular honor,” Baljet said from the podium. “The race was really uneventful, but I want to commend the city of Portland for holding this race. Without the city and the Friends of PIR, none of this happens.”


The only driver who might have been able to challenge Baljet was runner-up Tim Brown of Vancouver, B.C.


Brown qualified his No. 67 Ford Matech GT3 on the outside pole just 0.3 seconds slower than Baljet. However, Brown got a nudge from behind at the start and quickly dropped to last place.


“I got in there and a car bumped me,” Brown said. “Then I was past the turn-in for the chicane, so I had to wait to re-enter the course.”


Brown put on an impressive show, though, working his way through the field throughout the 35-minute race.


“I made it back to second,” he said. “It’s unfortunate, but that’s the way things are.”


Cindi Lux of Aloha was third. Lux had qualified her No. 45 Dodge Viper in sixth place, and ran as high as second before Brown reclaimed the spot.


“It was a good race,” she said. “I had a good start, and the car was really good. We made a huge change just before the start of the race. It was kind of a Hail Mary thing, where you end up as a hero or a zero. It was good, and my car was awesome.”

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